Below are profiles of the instructors in the Sharing Cultures Project cohort, who also authored this webtext.
George Bailey
Thoko Batyi
Rose Blouin
Suzanne Blum-Malley
Amy Hawkins
Ncedisa Mayeko
Elize Naude
Brendan Riley
John Ruiters
Stephanie Shonekan
George Bailey
I received my B.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago, my M
A in English from De Paul University and my Ph. D. from the University of
Illinois at Chicago. As a Professor of English at Columbia College Chicago,
I teach Speech, English Composition and American Literature and I coordinate
the Speech Program. My short fiction and articles on a variety of topics have
appeared in New Chicago Stories, Chicago Works: A New Collection of Chicago
Authors' Best Stories, West Side Stories (Ed,. Chicago Sun Times, Fra Noi,
New City, The Chicago Journal. My choreopoem, For the 13, was adapted by Zebra
Crossing and performed at the Theater Building in Chicago. I live in Oak Park,
IL with my wife Linda and my sons, Nathan and Jared. I am a Blues and Jazz
musician. One of my research interests is the Buffalo Soldiers, a term given
to African-American men who fought for the U.S. government against Native
Americans during the late 19th century. I give presentations and dramatic
performances at public libraries and schools based on my research.
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Thoko Batyi
Hi! I'm Thoko, born in Port Elizabeth, worked as a teacher at primary level
for 13 years before moving to High school level and taught English and History
for 9 years. I had been a member of the University Foundation Programme at
the Nelson Mandela Metropole University (UPE) since its inception in 1999.
I majored in English and History in my bachelor's degree, have honours in
English Literature, honours in Applied Linguistics and Masters in Applied
Linguistics (from UPE now NMMU). I love politics and have experienced the
political revolution in my country. I am currently studying International
Political Economy with the hope to understand globalisation and what it brings
for our country and the students that we prepare for the global village.
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Rose Blouin
I've been a faculty member in Columbia's English Department since 1986, where
I teach Composition, Creative Nonfiction, and Journal Writing, among others.
I have served as an Associate Editor with Third World Press (Chicago); in
addition, I have done freelance editing and writing, and have published articles
and book reviews in various publications. I facilitate spiritual retreats
for women, and I teach meditation and journal writing workshops (based on
twenty-nine years of practicing both disciplines) in a variety of settings,
including community centers, Chicago public schools and area colleges and
universities. As a professional photographer, I specialize in black and white
fine art and documentary work, and my photography has been exhibited throughout
the Chicago area. I've been a member of "Sapphire & Crystals," an African-American
women artists' collective, since 1987. As a faculty member at Columbia, I
enjoy teaching and facilitating student learning. My perception is that Columbia's
students are the most important aspect of my job, and I always carry a sense
of appreciation for the unique students who choose to attend Columbia, and
the vision and perspective they bring to the classroom.
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Suzanne Blum-Malley
I am a Professor of English and the Director of the English as a Second Language
Program (ESL) at Columbia College Chicago. I earned my Master's degree in
Applied Linguistics and Hispanic Literatures from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign and spent two years living and teaching in Madrid, Spain
before returning to the U.S. to teach both English and Spanish at the university
level. At Columbia College, I teach first year writing courses to both international
and non-international students as well as ESL reading and listening/speaking
courses. My research interests include using ethnography in the writing classroom
and exploring ways to integrate new media studies into what I do as a teacher
of reading and writing. I am also always looking to create bridges between
the often disparate worlds of composition / rhetoric and applied linguistics
/ TESOL. In addition to my life at school, I am the mother of two children,
Moira - 7, and Hunter - 5, an avid soccer fan and player, a budding blogger,
and a volunteer Spanish teacher at the elementary school near my home.
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Amy Hawkins
Hello! I come to Columbia College by way of three different institutions.
First, I received my BA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where
I majored in American culture. Then, I followed my interests to Bowling Green
State University in Ohio where I received an MA in Popular Culture. Finally,
I returned to Michigan and finished the PhD program in English (Composition
and Rhetoric) and Wayne State University in Detroit. In general, my areas
of interest include ethnography as a pedagogical approach to the writing classroom,
computers and composition, popular culture, and GLBT writing/studies. Specifically,
I am interested in getting students excited about writing. I seek to find
ways to make composition class a meaningful and valuable experience for students,
not only in terms of academic requirements, but also as a way of promoting
conscious critical communication. In addition to my teaching and research,
my interests include golf, motorcycling, and cooking. I feel so incredibly
fortunate to have been able to visit South Africa last year. That real life
connection makes me that much more excited about this project.
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Ncedisa Mayeko
I was born and bred in Port Elizabeth and completed my formal education at
the University of Port Elizabeth (currently known as the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University, NMMU) where I obtained both a BA degree (Social Work & Psychology)
and an Honors degree in Psychology. Upon completion of my studies in 1998
my lecturers advised me that I was too young to register for a Masters degree
in Psychology. I then left the University to obtain life experience and pursued
a career in Research and Counselling for a period of 4 years. I joined the
University late 2004 to teach a subject called Academic and Life Skills Management.
I believe that I have gained enough life experience and plan to do a Masters
degree in Counselling Psychology in 2007.
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Elize Naude
I was born and bred in the Eastern Cape (province of Nelson Mandela) and obtained
my first degree in Music Education at the University of Stellenbosch. My honors
degree in education was completed at the University of Port Elizabeth. I am
continuing my studies focusing on transformation and the impact on modes of
delivery with an emphasis on culture and technology as a part of the curriculum.
Currently, I am the coordinator and facilitator for the University Practice
Course for mainstream students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
I was involved in the compilation of the textbook, How to Make Higher Education
Easier. In addition, I have been a private consultant for six years gaining
valuable experience in the private sector and in education and management.
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Brendan Riley
I joined the Columbia College Chicago English faculty in Fall, 2004. I teach
composition and new media classes at Columbia, and am very excited to be participating
in the Sharing Cultures Project. I earned my Ph.D. in English from the University
of Florida in 2004, where I studied film and media studies as well as rhetoric
and composition. As a scholar, I'm interested in rhetoric and composition
theory, particularly as it pertains to computers & writing; new media studies;
grammatology (the study of the history of writing); and film and media studies.
I enjoy designing websites and do some programming. I also love films, literature,
and video games.
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John Ruiters
My background is in teacher-training, having previously worked at Dower College
and in the Education Faculty at NMMU. I did an MA in English language Teaching
at Ealing College/ Thames Valley University in London in 1996. I am currently
completing the honours year of the MA in Applied Language studies. I am married
to Priscilla, have two kids Marc (11) and Cleo (5). My interests/hobbies are
field hockey, music jazz, swing, r'n b, hip-hop, rap in fact all genres. I
also love reading books on linguistics and applied linguistics.
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Stephanie Shonekan
As a professor of Humanities and Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago,
I enjoy teaching classes that focus on the culture, literature, and music
of the black world. So far, I have taught Black Arts Movement, Harlem Renaissance,
Contemporary African Life, Literature, and Music, and Hip Hop: Global Music
and Culture. Before coming to Columbia College in 2003, I earned my bachelors
and masters in Nigeria from the University of Jos and the University of Ibadan
respectively. I then earned my Ph.D. in ethnomusicology and folklore from
Indiana University, Bloomington. My intertwined Nigerian and Trinidadian heritage,
in addition to my research in black creative expression, inspires continued
study in black music, black women, hip hop, and the cultural connections that
exist amongst the peoples of African descent. These ideas also motivate my
own creative juices in terms of fiction writing. My husband and I are blessed
with 3 lovely children.
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